Carton opening device



y 2, 1961 F. K. FOSTER I 2,982,075

CARTON OPENING DEVICE Filed Dec. 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Max-6Z6!- I gal res Z 125. yogi)? @Enrrtegs Filed Dec. 17, 1959 May'Z, 1961 F. K. FOSTER 2,982,075

CARTON OPENING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ira/M561 gor /a5 538%0 65E mgzzwewww ,aiimq/s "med, S e

' (ZARTON OPENING DEVICE Forrest K. Foster, Austin, Tex., assignor to'Revenue Stamp Company, Austin, Tex., a corporation of Texas Filed Dec. 17, 1959, 'Ser. No. 860,121

12 Claims. (Cl. 53-381) in the jurisdictional limits of each state, it is apparent that the sealed cartons must first be opened to expose the cigarette packages for stamping. Ordinarily, this operation is performed manually, an operator first lifting an outer side flap of the carton to break the glue bond between it and the inner flap therebeneath, then lifting the inner flap to expose the ends of the cigarette packages, and finally stamping or applying decals to the ends of the packages contained within the carton. Mechanical devices have been considered for 'the purpose of automatically opening the carton flaps, but there has been no satisfactory solution to the problem of providing a machine which is simple in both operation and structure and which is effective in breaking the seals and lifting the flaps of cartons having even slight variations in their transverse dimensions.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a device which overcomes the aforementioned problems and which is effective in opening the outer side flaps of cartons regardless of variations in their transverse dimensions. Another object is to provide a device which is' simple and inexpensive in construction and which will break the glue seal between the inner and outer side flaps of a cigarette carton withoutv crushing or otherwise damaging the cigarette packages contained therein. A further object is to provide a device which not only breaks the seal between the inner and outer side flaps of a cigarette carton regardless of dimensional variations between successive cartons but which is also effective in bending the outer side flap away from the inner flap so as to prepare the carton for a subsequent operation wherein the flaps are turned outwardly and downwardly to expose the ends of the cigarette packages.

Other objects will appear from the specification and drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view showing a portion of a cigarette carton handling machine, the. machine being provided with a flap opening device of the present invention, such device being shown at the commencement of a flapopening operation;

i Figure 2 isv a broken perspective view similar to Figure l but showing the device in a later stage of its operation;

Figure 3 is a broken perspective view similar to Figures '1 and 2 but showing the device of the present invention as it'nears completion of a flap-opening operation;

. Figure '4 is an enlarged perspective view of the flap opener;

Figure 5 is a top plan view illustrating the flap opener at the commencement of a carton opening operation;

- Figure- 6 isa broken side elevational view showing the flap opening device and its range of pivotal movement.

atent l atented May 2, 1961 In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a machine for receiving cigarette cartons 11 and for opening, stamping and rescaling those cartons in a continuous operation. Since the present invention is concerned primarily with the flap opening device 12, only those elements of the machine which relate directly to the structure and operation of the flap opening device are illustrated in Figures 1 through 3. Reference may be had to the commonly owned copending application by William E. Shelton, Serial No. 860,122, filed Dec. 17, 1959, for description of the flap folding mechanism which folds the side closure flaps outwardly and downwardly to expose the ends of the cigarette packages contained within each carton. As brought out in the aforementioned copending application, the lifting and outward folding of the closure flaps occurs immediately after those flaps have been broken apart by the structure of the present invention.

The machine 10 includes a horizontal platform 13 having a .pair of spaced parallel members 14 and 15 defining a horizontal channel 16 through which the cartons 11 are advanced. Rectangular frame members 17 are connected to a horizontally extending chain 18 which moves the frames through the channel. The endless chain 18 may be rotated by any suitable power means (not shown).

Each frame is open at its top and bottom and is adapted to receive a cigarette carton therein. The cartons may be loaded into the frames in any siutable manner and are advanced through an opening 19 in chute 20 to the flap opening station. It will be observed that the cartons are confined Within the frames with their narrow flap-providing walls facing upwardly. In a carton so oriented, the cigarette packages contained therein are inverted. Thus, when the flaps are opened and folded back, the bottom surfaces of the cigarette packages will be exposed for stamping.

The flap opening device is shown most clearly in Figures 4-6 and comprises a generally horizontal arm 21 mounted for vertical pivotal movement upon a mounting member 22 which is in turn carried by a support block 23. At its free front end, the arm 21 is provided with a depending flange 24 having a vertical slot 25 therein. The slot loosely receives an upstanding plate 26 which extends longitudinally along side channel 16 and which 'restrains lateral movement of the arm withoutinterfering with its vertical pivotal movement.

Block 23 is fixed to the platform adjacent channel 16 and is provided with a vertical bore 27 which rotatably receives a vertical tubular sleeve 28 secured at its top to the under surface of horizontal mounting plate 22. The mounting plate is provided with apertured upstanding ears 29 which support a mounting pin 30 extending therebetween. The pin is in turn rotatably received within a tubular sleeve 31 at the rear end of arm 21. Therefore, the sleeve and pin connect the rear end of the horizontal arm 21 to the ears of the mounting plate 22 to permit vertical pivotal movement of the arm about the axis of the pin. It is to be noted that the axis of this pin is horizontal and extends at substantially right angles to the channel 16 and to the direction of movement of the cigarette cartons therethrough.

Arm 21 may be formed from sheet metal and, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, is rearwardly tapered so that itstransverse horizontal dimensions adjacent pivot pin 30 are substantially less than the horizontal transverse dimensions adjacent the arms free front end. At its front end, the arm is provided with an integrally-formed lateral extension 32 providing a horizontal blade 33 which projects over the channel through which the cartons 11 pass. The blade faces rearwardly and extends from a point lying substantially along the longitudinal bending action is illustrated clearly in Figure 2.

vertical mid plane of the channel (and the cartons passing therethrough) to a point adjacent the side of the channel. It will be notedin Figure 5 that the cutting edge of the rearwardly-facing blade isstraight and is angled outwardly and forwardly towards the blades free end.

Directly in front of blade 33 is a flap-directing element 34. The flap-directing element comprises an upturned integrally-formed forward edge portion of the same extension 32 which provides blade 33. Referring to Figures 4 through 6, it will be seen that the for-ward edge portion curves upwardly and forwardly and that, viewed from above, it extends along a substantially straight line angling forwardly and outwardly or laterally from the extensions free end.

Riveted or otherwise secured to the top surface of arm 21 to form a part thereof is a generally horizontal guide plate 35. A lateral portion 36 of the guide plate extends over and is spaced slightly above blade 33. The forward edge of the plate is disposed at substantially right angles to the direction of movement of cartons through the channel and terminates a spaced distance behind the upstanding flap-directing element 34. A rearward extension 37 of the plates lateral portion curves rearwardly and upwardly to a point disposed well behind and above blade 33 (Figures 4 and 6). Except for this xtension, plate 35 generally follows the contour of arm 21.

Ordinarily, the weight of the arm and plate will exert sufficient downward force upon a carton for effective operation of the opening device. However, in the illustration given, I show spring means which may be provided for increasing this downward force. A helical compression spring 38 extends vertically through sleeve 28 of the mounting member 22 and projects upwardly through an opening 39 in that member. The spring bears upwardly against a rearwardly extending finger portion 40 of the top plate 35 and tends to urge the free front end of the arm 21 downwardly about its pivot 30. Finger 40 and spring 38 also serve the purpose of limiting the extent of upward pivotal movement of the arm.

Sleeve 28 may be rotatably received within bore 27 to permit rotation of the arm about a vertical axis. Thus, should plate 26 be mounted for horizontal adjustment, arm 21 will be capable of limited lateral displacement to accommodate such adjustment.

Operation In the operation of the machine, cartons 11 are carried forwardly through the channel towards the opening device 12. Specifically, the conveyed cartons are oriented with their sealed side flaps disposed at the top and with the glued edges of their outer flaps disposed adjacent the side of the channel near the support means -of the opening device. As a carton reaches the opening station, the curved extension 37 of arm 21 engages the cartons upper front edge and the arm pivots upwardly to ride over the advancing carton. Further forward movement of the the carton brings it into engagement with the horizontal blade 33 which enters between the outer and inner flaps to break the spots of glue sealing these flaps together. The lateral portion 36 of plate 35 restrains immediate upward movement of the outer flap at the point where the glue seal is broken but, as the carton continues to advance, the front edge of the cartons outer flap emerges from beneath the guide plate 'and bears against the upwardly curved flap-directing element 34. This element. acting in combination with the portion 36 of the plate which restrains upward movement of any portion of a flap disposed directly behind the element 34, causes an upward bending or slight curling of the outer flap after it has been separated from the cartons inner flap. This It is believed apparent from Figures 2 and 3 that the upward bendingof the outer flap results in a substantial separation between the front corner of that flap and the remainder of the carton therebelow, and this separation greatly facilitates outward folding of the flaps by mechanical means to expose the ends of the cigarette packages for stamping.

Plate 35 not only coacts with the flap-directing element 34 to bend the outer flaps upwardly, but also coacts with blade 33 to insure proper positioning of the blade with reference to a carton to be opened. In other words, the extension 37 of the plate acts as a gauge for precisely positioning the blade so that the blade will pass between the cartons inner and outer flaps rather than cut into either of the flaps. This function is of extreme importance when it is recognized that the dimensional variance in cigarette cartons is ordinarily substantially greater than the thickness of the sheet material from which such cartons are formed. Thus, in the absence of means for automatically adjusting the elevation of the blade according to the dimensions of each individual carton, the blade might cut into the flaps themselves, or worse, might pass completely under the flaps of some cartons and cut into the cigarette packages contained in such cartons.

From the above, it is believed apparent that the apparatus of the present invention is particularly suited for breaking open and bending upwardly the outer closure flap of a cigarette carton without danger of damaging either the carton or the cigarette packages contained therein. While an embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in considerable detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many of these details may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A flap-opening device for cigarette cartons comprising a substantially horizontal arm having a horizontal rearwardly-facing blade extending across a channel through which cigarette cartons are successively advanced, said arm being pivotally mounted for limited vertical movement of said blade, said arm being provided with a rearwardly and upwardly curved extension adapted to engage each carton as the same is advanced toward said blade and to cause said arm to pivot upwardly for precise positioning of said blade between the cartons inner and outer flaps, whereby said blade is operative to break the glue bond between said inner and outer flaps as each carton engages the flap-opening device.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said extension extends forwardly above said blade at a distance substantially equal to the flap thickness of a cigarette carton.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which spring means are operatively associated with said arm for urging the same downwardly.

4. A device for breaking the seal between the inner and outer closure flaps of a cigarette carton comprising a substantially horizontal arm having front and rear portions, said front portion providing a horizontal and rearwardlyfacing blade extending laterally across a channel through which cigarette cartons are successively advanced, said arm being pivotally mounted at its rear for limited vertical movement of the front portion thereof, and a plate rigidly mounted upon said arm and having an extension spaced above said blade and curving rearwardly and upwardly behind said blade, said extension being adapted to engage and ride over each carton as the same is advanced toward said blade and to cause said arm to pivot upwardly for precisely positioning said blade at a level between the cartons sealed inner and outer flaps.

5. The structure of claim 4 in which said device includes a support element for supporting said arm adjacent the channel through which said cigarette cartons are successively advanced.

6. The structure of claim 4 in which said arm is provided at the front end thereof with a depending flange, said flange having a vertical slot for slideably receiving a vertical guide plate therein.-

and rear portions, said arm having at its front portion a horizontal and rearwardly-facing blade extending laterally across a channel through which cigarette cartons are successively advanced, said arm being pivotally mounted at its rear for limited vertical movement of the front blade portion thereof, a plate rigidly mounted upon said arm and having an extension spaced above said blade and curving rearwardly and upwardly behind said blade, said arm extending forwardly beyond said plate and providing an integral flap-directing element curving upwardly in front of said blade and plate to bend the outer flap of a carton upwardly after the same has passed forwardly through the space between said blade and plate.

8. The structure of claim 7 in which said flap-directing element extends along a straight horizontal line angularly disposed with reference to a horizontal line at right angles to the direction of movement of said cartons.

9. The structure of claim 7 in which spring means are provided for urging the front portion of said pivotally mounted arm downwardly.

10. In a machine for opening the sealed flaps of cigarette cartons for stamping the cigarette packages contained therein, said machine providing a channel and having means for successively advancing cigarette cartons therethrough with their sealed longitudinally-extending flaps disposed along the top of each carton, a device for breaking the seal between the outer and inner closure flaps of each carton and for bending the outer closure flap upwardly, said device comprising a substantially horizontal arm disposed alongside said channel, means pivotally mounting said arm for upward and downward movement of the front end thereof, said front end of said arm having a lateral portion extending over said channel, said lateral portion providing a horizontal and rearwardly-facing blade, a plate rigidly mounted upon said arm and having an extension spaced above said blade and curving rearwardly and upwardly behind said lateral portion, said extension being adapted to engage each carton as the same is advanced toward said blade and to cause the front end of said arm to pivot upwardly for precisely positioning said blade at a level between the cartons sealed inner and outer flaps, the lateral portion of said arm extending forwardly and upwardly beyond said plate for bending the outer flap of a carton upwardlyafter the same has passed forwardly through the space between said blade and plate.

11. The structure of claim 10 in which said device is provided with spring means for urging the front end of said pivotally mounted arm downwardly.

12. The structure of claim 10 in which said device is provided with means for limiting the extent of upward and downward pivotal movement of said arm.

No references cited. 

